The Conduct Process

Who We Are

Student Housing’s mission of supporting students’ academic success is carried out by many people, ranging from Student Staff like Resident Advisors, to our full-time custodial and facilities staff, to our Area Community Teams. Each Area Community Team (ACT) has one or two Conduct Coordinators. The Conduct Coordinators are responsible for overseeing the maintenance of community standards in the residence halls, and work with the Resident Advisors to ensure that students are living in an environment that is as conducive to academic success as possible.

In addition to the Conduct Coordinators and Resident Advisors, Student Housing also promotes residents’ leadership in their communities through involvement in the Residence Hall Judicial Board (RHJB). RHJB is an opportunity for residents to meet in hearing panels to hold their peers accountable for policy violations. The RHJB is an opportunity for Board members to hone their leadership and critical thinking skills while educating other residence hall students about their impact on the communities in which they live.

Why We Are Here

Student Housing’s ultimate goal is to provide our residents access to a safe, comfortable and secure environment that will contribute to their success at UC Davis. We have established a set of expectations about how students behave and respect one another in the residence halls, and it is through enforcing these expectations that we seek to support academic success. These expectations range from our Quiet and Courtesy Hours policy to our compliance with federal alcohol and drug regulations to maintenance of safe and secure facilities. Our Resident Advisors and Conduct Coordinators work together to ensure the maintenance of this environment.

We recognize that students come to campus with a variety of values, priorities, and lifestyles. Some students prefer to live in a space that is quiet and conducive to individual study or relaxation. Others prefer to study at the library but recreate in their residential spaces. The residence halls are, after all, students’ home away from home. These differences sometimes result in conflict, and our staff are present to help mitigate this conflict by enforcing policy and providing mediation.

Sometimes students come to campus with the expectation that underage drinking is a traditional aspect of the ‘college experience’. This is actually not true – many UC Davis students choose not to drink at all- but regardless of individuals’ personal values around alcohol or other drugs, Student Housing’s student and professional staff enforce the federal prohibitions of illegal drugs and underage possession and use of alcohol. In addition to the obvious need to act in accordance with federal guidelines, we believe unlawful drug and alcohol abuse is not conducive to the environment we seek to establish and maintain in our residence halls.

How the Student Conduct Process Works

Most students that find themselves involved in the ‘conduct process’ do so because of a mistake they made without any bad intentions. Some people come to campus and simply are not accustomed to holding themselves accountable for their impact on the community – turning down the volume on the TV after 11pm on a week night, for example! Sometimes, however, students choose to violate campus expectations knowingly – everybody that comes to campus knows the expectations regarding alcohol and other drugs, for example.

Regardless of students’ intentions or motivation, there are consequences for every choice we make. In the conduct process on campus, our professional staff generally are responsible for determining what those consequences will be.

Generally, when a student is involved in a violation of a campus or university policy, a Resident Advisor – or other university staff member – will submit a documentation of that incident to a Conduct Coordinator. Conduct Coordinators review these reports, and then meet with the involved students to determine whether any of the people should be held responsible for a violation of UC Davis or Student Housing policy.

In that meeting, the Coordinator and the student will sit down and talk about the incident. Generally, the student will be asked to share their perspective on what happened, who was involved, what was done, etc. The Coordinator will compare the student’s story about what happened with the report that had been initially filed, and based on these sources of information – as well as any others available, such as a police report or security camera recording – determine whether it is “more likely than not” that the student is responsible for violating any policies. If so, the Conduct Coordinator will determine an appropriate “sanction”.

Sanctions are determined based on the nature of the incident, and with the goal of educating the student and achieving a change in behavior. For example, a student found responsible for a Quiet Hours violation may be asked to reflect on how their noise level may impact others that are trying to sleep or study; or they may be asked to create a poster campaign to remind others of the Quiet and Courtesy Hours policy.

After this meeting, the Conduct Coordinator will write a “Decision Letter” that summarizes the discussion had at the meeting, the outcomes of the meeting, and the sanctions determined. This Decision Letter will be emailed to the student’s UC Davis email account. A copy will be retained by Student Housing for future reference.

In some cases, a student’s behavior may be so egregious or repetitive that the Conduct Coordinator will decide that Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) should become involved. Involvement of Student Judicial Affairs may result in a permanent disciplinary record, suspension, or even dismissal from the university.